329: Another defeat

A surge of anger from being watched, and even looked down upon, quietly welled up in his heart.

Wang Zhan's cultivation had just improved, and his spirits were high; how could he allow others to ignore him like this?

"Sword White Robe, here to test my sword!"

The man in white spoke, his voice still indifferent, yet carrying an unstoppable Aura.

Testing the sword?

Wang Zhan was momentarily stunned, then laughed out of sheer anger!

Hahaha!

A Junior Brother of Battle Asura actually dared to come and "test his sword" just as he had achieved a Breakthrough and his Aura was at its Peak?

Did he really think Wang Zhan was made of clay?

Did he truly believe his Heavenly Azure Sacred Body was a stepping stone that anyone could trample upon?

"Good! What a fine sword testing!"

Enraged, a cold light burst from Wang Zhan's azure eyes, and the blood and Qi throughout his body boiled once more, even more violent than before.

"Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I'll use you to consecrate my flag, treating you as an appetizer before the great battle!"

"I hope your sword is worthy of your arrogance!"

Before his voice had even faded, a terrifying Battle Intent crushed toward Fang Hanyu like something physical!

...A day later, across the Eastern Region, in every bustling ancient city, noisy tavern, and mist-shrouded Sect, earth-shattering news swept through like a gale!

"Have you heard? A shocking event! The Wang Family's Heavenly Azure Sacred Body, Wang Zhan, has been defeated again!"

In a tavern, a Cultivator slammed down his wine cup, his voice turning sharp with excitement.

"What?! Impossible!"

The person beside him turned pale with shock. "Wang Zhan? Didn't he go into seclusion after losing to Battle Asura? How could he have lost again?"

"It's absolutely true!"

The first man spoke animatedly, spit flying everywhere.

"Just a few days ago, at the Old Site of the Demon Heaven Sect! He was publicly defeated by Battle Asura's Junior Brother, Sword White Robe! And it happened after he broke through and his cultivation had greatly improved!"

The entire tavern instantly erupted into an uproar!

"My god! First Battle Asura, now Sword White Robe—this is truly Heaven-Defying!"

"Sword White Robe? He's actually strong to such an extent?"

"Quick, tell us exactly what happened! Isn't Wang Zhan's Sacred Body supposed to be invincible? How did he fall to these two brothers one after another?"

At this moment, an old man in gray who seemed better informed stroked his beard and said solemnly, "I have a relative who was watching the battle from afar. It's said that the fight was incredibly tragic!

After Wang Zhan broke through, his Aura was indeed terrifyingly immense, and the Heavenly Azure Sacred Body's phenomena were astonishing. But that Sword White Robe was truly like an unparalleled sword!"

He paused, glanced at the curious gazes around him, and lowered his voice. "The two fought fiercely for nearly three hundred rounds!

Sword light and sacred blood flew everywhere, and the mountains near the Demon Heaven Sect were half-collapsed from the fight!

In the end, it was Sword White Robe, with his Peak Celestial Realm cultivation, who used the sword in his hand to forcefully break through Wang Zhan's Sacred Body defense, heavily wounding and defeating him!"

"What?! At the Heavenly Human Realm? Again at the Heavenly Human Realm? Defeating the improved Wang Zhan from a lower level?"

Everyone gasped.

"That's not all!"

The gray-robed elder continued with his shocking revelations.

"The most terrifying part is that after defeating Wang Zhan, Sword White Robe immediately drew in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to temper his body, naturally stepping directly into the King Realm!

It's said that his Breakthrough phenomena were not in the least inferior to those of Battle Asura!"

The tavern fell into a dead silence; one could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, in a corner, a middle-aged Cultivator who had been stuck at the Peak Celestial Realm for many years slammed the table, a fanatical light erupting in his eyes.

"I understand! I finally understand! So this is the correct way to break through to the King Realm!

To squeeze out potential in extreme combat, to overcome a superior from below, and to validate one's own Dao! Only then can one break through like a butterfly from a cocoon! Is Wang Zhan still there? I want to fight him too!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several sneers immediately came from nearby.

"Give it a rest, Li Laosan! How many years have you been stuck in the Heavenly Human Realm? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

A man with a sharp chin and thin face mocked him.

"What kind of talent does Sword White Robe have? And what about yours? You want to copy him? You'd probably be slapped into ashes by Wang Zhan!"

"Exactly!" another person chimed in.

"Trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog! Without that strength, trying to challenge someone above your level is just seeking death!"

Just then, a voice filled with pride and doubt came from a private booth on the second floor.

The speaker was a young man in luxurious clothing whose Aura was clearly at the Middle Stage of the King Realm. He was a descendant of some Hidden Family and had not witnessed the battle.

"Hmph, in this Young Master's opinion, there's something fishy about this. That Wang Zhan is rumored to be miraculous—some Heavenly Azure Sacred Body, invincible among his generation.

And the result? First defeated by the Heavenly Human Realm Battle Asura, then by the Heavenly Human Realm Sword White Robe.

Being overwhelmed twice in a row by those with lower cultivation... this Sacred Body...

Hehe, could it be that the Wang Family just bragged about it, and it's actually worthless?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tavern went quiet for a moment, and many people's faces showed signs of contemplation and interest.

Indeed, once could be called an accident, but twice?

Could it be that Wang Zhan really isn't as strong as the legends say? Is his Heavenly Azure Sacred Body mostly hype?

"Bullshit!"

Suddenly, a coarse voice rang out as a burly man with a full beard stood up abruptly. He had witnessed the great battle between Xiao Ruobai and Wang Zhan from afar and now glared at the Young Master on the second floor.

"What the hell do you know? I saw it with my own eyes! Wang Zhan's strength is the real deal!

The pressure from that Heavenly Azure Sacred Body made it hard to breathe even from a distance! Even the Kirin Son, who was once rampant, was defeated by Wang Zhan.

Losing to Battle Asura and Sword White Robe isn't because Wang Zhan is weak; it's because those two monsters are too strong! Unreasonably strong!"

"That's right!"

Others who had seen that battle also chimed in.

"Wang Zhan is definitely not weak! It can only be said that those two are too Heaven-Defying!"

However, the seeds of doubt had already been sown.

Many who hadn't seen it and only heard the name, especially some self-important Prodigies, couldn't help but start thinking:

"Perhaps Wang Zhan's Dao Heart has been damaged after repeated blows, and his strength is no longer what it used to be?"

"If I could defeat him, wouldn't I immediately become famous throughout the world?"

"Even if I lose, getting to fight a former top-tier Prodigy doesn't seem like a loss."

The debate in the tavern grew more intense, and an undercurrent had already begun to surge.

Many people's eyes flickered with various thoughts.

Clearly, Wang Zhan, whose heavy injuries had not yet healed and whose reputation had hit rock bottom, was about to face countless challengers who wanted to use him as a stepping stone to rise.

Beneath the shattered mountain Peak, Wang Zhan was slumped against a charred Broken Dragon Stone.

His black battle robe had turned into tattered rags, soaked in dark-gold sacred blood and clinging tightly to wounds deep enough to show bone.

The hole in his chest, pierced by Sword White Robe's final strike, had stopped bleeding, but the flesh around the edges remained eerily charred and twisted, as if burned by the purest Sword Intent, making it difficult to heal.

His black hair was disheveled, covered in dust and blood scabs, obscuring most of his face.

Yet the gaze peering through the gaps in his hair was a hollow, dead gray, devoid of even a fraction of the sharpness and confidence he had when he broke through.

Only occasionally, when a gust of wind blew and lifted the stray hairs on his forehead, revealing the hideous sword scar beneath.

Only then would a flash of extreme pain, humiliation, and a trace of bewilderment that even he was unwilling to admit suddenly flicker in the depths of those dead-gray eyes.